Turkey Accelerates Renewable Energy Roadmap with Saudi Solar Deal and $108 Billion Green Push

Türkiye is accelerating its renewable energy transition, advancing steadily toward its ambitious Renewable Energy Roadmap 2035, aimed at dramatically scaling up wind and solar capacity while strengthening energy independence.

In a major recent development, Turkey signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia to jointly develop large-scale solar power projects totaling up to 5 GW, to be implemented in two phases.

Two-Phase Saudi Solar Investment

Phase One involves Saudi investment in two solar power plants in Sivas and Karaman, with a combined capacity of 2 GW. According to Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar, Saudi Arabia will invest approximately $2 billion in these projects, construction of which is expected to begin in 2027. Once operational, the plants are projected to supply electricity to around 2.1 million Turkish households.

Phase Two will add a further 3 GW of solar capacity under frameworks agreed by both countries.

Quadrupling Wind and Solar by 2035

Turkey’s Renewable Energy Roadmap 2035 targets a massive expansion of installed wind and solar capacity from 32 GW in 2024 to 120 GW by 2035. Interim goals include reaching 51 GW by 2030.

While the country plans to commission an average of 3.1 GW annually until 2030, achieving the 2035 target will require accelerating additions to nearly 13.8 GW per year after 2030.

As of end-2024, Turkey had:

• Over 13 GW of solar capacity (12% of total installed capacity)
• Around 12 GW of wind capacity (11%)

(according to Enerdata Global Energy Research).

Overall wind and solar capacity stood at roughly 23 GW at end-2023, underscoring the scale of the expansion ahead.

$108 Billion Investment Plan

Meeting these targets will require an estimated $108 billion investment, including:

• $80 billion for new renewable generation capacity
• $28 billion for transmission infrastructure, including 40 GW of HVDC capacity

Turkey plans to add 7.5–8 GW of renewable capacity annually, supported by yearly YEKA (Renewable Energy Resource Areas) auctions offering about 2 GW of wind and solar projects.

A dedicated offshore wind roadmap has also been released, targeting 5 GW of offshore capacity by 2035.

By then, renewables are projected to account for 65% of Turkey’s total installed capacity, up from 58.5% in 2023, significantly boosting domestic energy security.

World Bank Backs Grid Modernisation

Complementing generation expansion, Turkey has secured $748 million in concessional financing from the World Bank to modernise and expand its power transmission system for large-scale solar and wind integration.

The package includes:

• €625 million ($708 million) from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
• €33 million from the Clean Technology Fund (CTF)
• $2 million CTF grant

The initiative — titled the Transforming Power Transmission System Project — will be implemented by the state-run Turkey Electricity Transmission Corporation.

The project directly supports Ankara’s 2035 renewable strategy and aligns with Turkey’s broader ambition of achieving net-zero emissions by 2053.

The writer of this article is Dr. Seema Javed, an environmentalist & a communications professional in the field of climate and energy